Ornamental device for pyrophoric lighters



Wu 1 1,5 W53 5. G. LIPIC ET AL ORNAMENTAL DEVICE FOR PYROPHORIC LIGHTERS Filed July 24, 1951 FIG. 4.

mum/rm; SYLVESTER G. LnPac HORBELL R. MORROW Patented Sept. 15, 1953 ORNAMENTAL DEVICE FOR PYROPHORIC LIGHTERS Sylvester G. Lipic, Sappington, and Horrell R. Morrow, St. Louis, Mo., assignors to Ritepoint 00., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application July 24, 1951, Serial No. 238,212

8 Claims.

This invention pertains to ornamental devices adapted for advertising purposes, and particularly to such devices as applied to pyrophoric lighters.

An object of this invention is to provide an ornamental device for advertising by which advantage may be taken of the effectiveness of the pyrophoric cigarette lighter as an advertising vehicle, by applying such device to a lighter in a manner to catch the eye.

Another object is to provide such a device which may be made in different distinctive forms according to the nature of the merchandise advertised.

This invention has been found to be effective when applied to lighters of the designs shown in Design Patent No. 156,133, issued to S. G. Lipic and L. S. Lyon, and Design Patent No. 159,281, issued to S. G. Lipic and W. E. Moore, the latter being illustrated in the accompanying drawing. Further objects will appear from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a'view in elevation of a table type cigarette lighter embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial section on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating another embodiment of this invention; and

Fig. 4 is a similar view illustrating still another embodiment of this invention.

In accordance with this invention, the liquidfuel storage chamber of a lighter such as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which chamber has a transparent wall, is taken advantage of as a display chamber for an ornamental device adapted for advertising purposes. The device is suspended in the liquid, which is transparent, so that the suspended device is clearly visible.

As shown in the drawing, the lighter comprises a base I on which is supported a transparent wall 2 forming a fuel storage chamber 3 which may be filled with liquid fuel 4. The wall 2 is surmounted by a service fuel chamber 5 on which is mounted pyrophoric ignition means including a spark wheel 6 and a wick '1. A valve having a manipulating element 8 is arranged for refilling the service from the storage chamber. As this lighter construction is well known in the art it need not be described in detail.

In accordance with this invention, an ornamental pellet 9, designed to attract the eye, is suspended in the liquid 4. This pellet may have any form according to the advertising appeal desired. In the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2, it is made in the form of a hollow-cylinder containing artificial flowers Hi. This pellet is buoyant in the liquid 4 so that it tends to float therein. It is, however, anchored to the bottom of the chamber 3 by a flexible cable, such as a chain l l. The length of the chain is adjusted to suspend the pellet about in the center of the chamber 3. The pellet is preferably made small enough to have substantial clearance between it and the wall 2, so that when the lighter is moved, the pellet may swing laterally on the chain I l Such movement, particularly if the pellet is brightly colored, attracts the attention and tends to hold the eye as long as it continues. It thus draws attention to the pellet.

The pellet may be made in different shapes to suggest the merchandise advertised. Thus in Fig. 3 the pellet 9a is made in the form of a paint can. In Fig. 4, the pellet 91) has the form of a mill: bottle. Any other distinctive shape may be given the pellet, such as to attract attention, or symbolize the advertiser, or the goods advertised. The pellet may also be marked with a distinctive symbol, as the mark A-B Paint in Fig. 3, or such items as the flowers H! of Figs. 1 and 2 may be formed and used as particular symbols.

The pellet may be heavier than the liquid fuel, in which case it may be suspended from the top wall of the chamber 3, as shown in Fig. 3. Thus, an article may be represented which has a more natural appearance when suspended from above, such as the paint can shown in that figure. It may swing laterally on its chain, as in the other embodiment, to attract attention.

It will be seen that this invention provides an ornamental, eye-catching device which is very efiective for advertising purposes. The sight of the suspended pellet of distinctive form is fascinating to most observers. When the lighter is moved the pellet swings from side to side in the liquid. Such movement catches and holds the attention. When the liquid level in the chamber 3 falls to a point where the chain l I becomes slack, the pellet may assume different floating or semi-floating positions. The pellet in such a position not only attracts attention but serves as an indicator that it is time to refill.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of this invention. Parts of this invention may be used without the whole and improvements may be added while retaining some or all of the advantages of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a lighter of the character described having a storage chamber for a transparent liquid fuel, said chamber having top and bottom walls and a transparent side wall, an ornamental pellet in said storage chamber, and a flexible cable connected to said pellet and anchored to one of said top and bottom walls to suspend said pellet for free three-dimensional movement in said liquid fuel.

2. In a lighter of the character described having a storage chamber for a transparent liquid fuel, said chamber having top and bottom walls and a transparent side wall, an ornamental pellet in said storage chamber, being buoyant in said liquid fuel, and a flexible cable connected to said pellet and. anchored to said bottom wall to suspend said pellet for free three-dimensional movement in said liquid fuel.

3. In a lighter of the character described having a storage chamber for a transparent liquid fuel, said chamber having top and bottom walls and a transparent side wall, an ornamental pellet in said storage chamber, said pellet being heavier than said liquid fuel, and a flexible cable connected to said pellet and anchored to said top wall to suspend said pellet for free three-dimensional movement in said liquid fuel.

4. In a lighter of the character described having a storage chamber for a transparent liquid fuel, said chamber having top and bottom walls and. a transparent side wall, an ornamental pellet in said storage chamber, said pellet being dimensioned to be freely movable in said chamber, and a flexible cable connected to said pellet and anchored to one of said top and bottom walls to suspend said ellet for lateral movement in said liquid fuel.

5. In a lighter of the character described having a storage chamber for a transparent liquid fuel, said chamber having top and bottom walls and a transparent side wall, an ornamental pellet in said storage chamber, said pellet being buoyant in said liquid fuel and dimensaid pellet 4 sioned to be freely movable in said chamber, and a flexible cable connected to said pellet and anchored to said bottom wall to suspend said pellet for lateral movement in said liquid fuel.

6. In a lighter of the character described having a storage chamber for a transparent liquid fuel, said chamber having top and bottom walls and a transparent side wall, an ornamental pellet in said storage chamber, said pellet being formed to simulate a well known article, and a flexible cable connected to said pellet and anchored in said chamber to suspend said pellet for free lateral movement in said liquid fuel.

7. In a lighter of the character described having a storage chamber for a transparent liquid fuel, said chamber having top and bottom walls and a transparent side wall, an ornamental pellet in said storage chamber, said pellet being marked with a distinctive symbol, and a flexible cable connected to said pellet and anchored in said chamber to suspend said pellet for free lateral movement in said. liquid fuel,

8. In a lighter of the character described having a storage chamber for a transparent liquidfuel, said chamber having top and bottom walls and a transparent side wall, an ornamental pellet in said storage chamber, said pellet having a distinctive shape, and a flexible cable connected to said pellet and anchored in said chamber to suspend said pellet for free lateral movement in said liquid fuel.

SYLVESTER G. LIPIC. HORRELL R. MORROW.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,128,760 Shapiro Aug. 30, 1938 2,456,694 Geiger Dec. 21, 1940 2,502,328 Kuhn Mar. 28, 1950 2,515,171 Abel July 18, 1950 2,529,094 Miller Nov. 7, 1950 2,611,202 Lipic Sept. 23, 1952 

